>> good morning, washington. great to have you with us. it is 6:00 on this thursday, paris 17, i am pamela brown. >> good morning, i am alison starling. we were excited to talk to adam caskey today. great news about today and tomorrow. >> the spring-like weather pattern continues today and tomorrow, then some changes on the weekend. enjoy the warm weather especially on friday. let's look at the numbers right now. 40 in falls church, 46 in gaithersburg, 46 in chevy chase, 47 in d.c. at children's hospital. a mild started the day, much warmer than yesterday. mid 60's this afternoon, partly cloudy. near 70 tomorrow. i think we will be in a locally -- i think we will be in the low 70's locally. marc rail reporting all

trains coming out of frederick on the brunswick line will go as far as darnes ville because of broken-down freight train on the tracks. if you can get to another station, metro will honor your ticket. 270 in pretty good shape southbound. normal delays from 80 to 109. no troubles on 28. that's in case you're going southbound. looks good as far as beltway traffic all the way around. no troubles in virginia but the growing volume, 66 to 95. back to you. >> thank you. we are following the latest developments from the middle east. in bahrain, police used tear gas and clubs to clear anti- government demonstrators from the capital's central square. two people died and dozens more were injured. police in libya and yemen also broke up anti-government

demonstrations. more on that in a live report in a few minutes. albert haynesworth is still dominating the headlines. the defensive linemen's camp is responding to accusations that he sexually assaulted a waitress. >> a grand jury could be days away from deciding if there redskins star will face charges. courtney has the latest. >> we spoke with his attorney. he said? albert haynesworth has not been charged because of the allegation of sexual abuse. he said that the others who were with him at the w hotel that night have been subpoenaed. that means we are going to see a grand jury. attorneys for the redskins defensive lineman albert haynesworth say that the sexual abuse allegations from a waitress at the w hotel in d.c. are false and they are ready to take that report. >> our team has interviewed several witnesses.

those three or four witnesses that were with him at the party and could see the scene are telling a different story. >> they received subpoenas. a grand jury is likely to convene this month regarding the allegations. the w hotel waitress told police for early sunday morning that albert haynesworth fondled her breast, >> albert is a sizable target for these types of negative allegations that are not true. albertriver accused h haynesworth of hitting him in the face recently during a road rage incident. >> a woman, if she feels offended, she has a right to pursue actions. >> these stars in high school and college even accommodates think the rules that apply to regular people don't apply to them.

>> albert haynesworth's attorneys say they plan to work with the u.s. attorney's office on all this and that they want a speedy resolution. new information on another redskins player this morning. the agent for wide receiver brandon banks says that his client is recovering in hospital in arlington. he and a friend were stabbed outside a d.c. nightclub on the weekend. he has a tube in his chest. investigators are trying to find the cause of a town house fire. flames broke out around 10:30 last night on glacier court. if they believe the fire started on the deck and then spread to the house. people in an alexandria apartment building damaged by fire will be allowed to return home this morning to salvage whatever they can. investigators are still trying to find out what caused the blaze that broke out tuesday afternoon on edsall road. residents of 14 apartments were

forced out. the red cross is putting them up at nearby hotels. the clock is ticking on the hill for congress to pass a bill to keep the government running. a temporary spending bill expires march 4. republicans want to cuts $51 billion from the current budget. -- $61 billion. president obama says he will veto the cuts. the government could shut down for the first time since 1995. metro funding is a source of frustration for lawmakers fighting over money. metro says that could mean a setback for passenger safety. >> brianne carter is live at the metro station with the latest money crunch. >> good morning. this plan would continue to fund the government through september. that's for the fiscal year 2011. it is already setting up a financial fight. included in this or not included in this is the $150 million for

metro that will help continue with safety and infrastructure upgrades. metro was promised this as part of a 2008 bill that was passed. gerry connolly has said that he has put forth an amendment that would continue to put the money back in, but that was killed earlier this week by republicans. metro says in a statement that this money is absolutely vital to the agency's work to rebuild the 30-year-old system and restore reliable service to customers. metro passengers agree with that, saying they already agree metro is underfunded. this debate will certainly continue especially with the leaders hearing from jurisdictions of maryland and virginia. the budget that was just unveiled this week for fiscal 2012 does include the $150 million for metro. brianne carter reporting. >> thank you. it's thursday morning, 45 degrees.

6:06. the temperatures are climbing. >> trading heads, what parents need to know to prevent a common accident. >> a shocking confession from a freshman senator. >> first, a taste of spring today and tomorrow. adam caskey has the full

[ male announcer ] it's 2011 and everything is different. different jobs... ♪ ...different challenges. ♪ different opportunities. ♪ so why would universities stay the same? ♪ university of phoenix, because an educated world is a better world.

i am with habitat for humanity of northern virginia. we are celebrating 20 years of building homesa and transforming lives. >> good morning, washington. we say good morning, washington, as well.

thanks for joining us at 6:09. time for traffic and weather. >> it was so great not to have to grab a jacket this morning. >> we are 10-20 degrees warmer than yesterday at this time. 45 in arlington. 41 in chevy chase. 48 degrees in winchester. we were in the 20's yesterday in outlying areas. with as this afternoon fair amount of sunshine, scattered clouds. patsy thought possible tonight, back in the low 40's. breezy tomorrow, near 70 degrees for tomorrow afternoon. temperatures will drop into the weekend with a strong cold front late friday that will drop us back to near 50 for the high temperatures on saturday with gusty wind. breezy tomorrow, but blustery on saturday. isolated sprinkles on sunday,

remaining cooler on sunday and monday. a stalled car reported on the inner loop near 66. left side of the beltway is where we go with newschopper 7. they are looking at the beltway near new hampshire avenue and university boulevard, moving nicely. marc rail, trains are held up between germantown and barnesville. brunswick line trains are stopped for the time being because of a disabled freight train. they are expecting -- inspecting the freight train to make sure safe passage is around it. they will honor your tickets if you can get to a metro station. 95 slowing at woodbrige and newington and springfield. looks good at the pentagon. will.c. driver's, ddot activate new traffic signals and pedestrian walkways signals today.

that is in northeast at fifth street and h street. third, fourth, sixth street, and h streets, switched over to the new fixtures. look out for that > 45 degrees on this thursday. >> coming up, a painful chapter for borders bookstore. >> a violent crackdown on protests in the middle east. we will tell you about. >> a special honor for a we will tell you about. >> a special honor for a beloved television

6:13, reports a d.c. grand jury will convene to decide if redskins player albert haynesworth should face sexual assault charges. a waitress at the w hotel in northwest d.c. told police that

he grabbed her breast while paying his bill last weekend. it's a denies the allegations. metro passengers are concerned about plans of house republicans to cut $150 million in federal funding. the cuts are in a spending bill that must also be approved by the democratic-controlled senate. bill cosby will receive a special honor today. secretary of the navy will recognize him as an honorary chief petty officer of the u.s. navy. he served as a hospital corpsman from 1956 through 1961. we are following a developing story from bahrain. demonstrators calling for political change are clashing with riot police. an american journalist got caught up in the recent chaos. ben eisler follows the latest developments from our satellite center. bring us up-to-date. >> the protests consumed half a dozen middle eastern countries yesterday, the most severe in yemen, libya, and bahrain.

the grievance is very, many of them share a new confidence that spread from egypt and tunisia. tens of thousands have come out to challenge the marquee in bahrain. without warning, heavily armed riot police stormed the square firing of tear gas and grenades. women and children gasping for cover. four dead and countless injured. our reporter was among them. listen as police turned on journalist miguel marquez. he cries out the word "journalist." it stems from cultural changes over the years. they have been ruled with an

iron fist. cbs journalist lara logan is recovering in d.c. at home after being attacked. she was beaten and sexually assaulted after being surrounded by a mob. we spoke with a woman who knows her professionally and we spoke about the dangers journalists face. >> when you are in a mob situation that is the most dangerous, at 200 people against you. you don't speak the language or know how to get out. >> president obama called the lara logan yesterday to wish her a speedy recovery. a republican congressman is opening up about the sexual abuse that he suffered as a child. massachusetts senator scott brown made the revelation in a new book. he was sexually abused and threatened several times by a camp counselor. the senator also said that he looked into buying a house where his stepfather physically abused him dust so that they could burn

it down. it is chapter 11 for borders bookstore. president obama goes high tech. vinita nair has those stories and more. >> good morning. we begin with president obama meeting with a group of top technology executives. the president will focus on promoting in amamerican innovation and job growth. mark zuckerberg and steve jobs will attend among others. the federal reserve is raising its outlook for economic growth this year. the central bank still expects the unemployment rate to hover around 9% this year. more than a dozen banks including bank of america and j.p. morgan chase are facing fines for deficiencies in how they handle foreclosures. they could also be forced to change how they operate. the banks could learn about their punishment within days. finding cheap air fares this summer will be a challenge. fares could rise $250 roundtrip.

airlines are not yet discounting summer season. that is your money scope reports and i am vinita nair. time for traffic and weather every ten minutes. >> adam caskey is here to talk about the good news in the weather department. beggars can not beach users -- be choosers. >> when was the last time reagan national airport had two 70- degree days in february? >> i don't know. >> 2000. it has been a while. looks like we will do it this month. it was 70 degrees on monday. it should be 71 again tomorrow. a spring-like weather pattern is going to be in place a couple days. by the weekend but temperatures will tumble and remain a little lower into next week as well. let's look at the numbers right now. falls church, 40.

46 at gaithersburg and the chevy chase. 47 degrees at children's hospital in the district. there is a gentle breeze out of the south pier that will pick up to about 15 miles an hour out of the south. it's 36 in frederick along with manassas and culpeper at 32. in winchester. that's 18 degrees warmer than yesterday at this time. much milder air in place because of the gusty southerly wind we experienced yesterday. they picked up in the midday and afternoon. it was a warm breeze. no complaints. scattered clouds moving overhead right now, pin clouds -- thin clouds especially. high-pressure system waited offshore. with that, we have the southerly wind on the backside of that. that is transporting the warmer air from the deep south right up

into our metro area. this will be the case throughout tomorrow as well. by the weekend the wind will shift out of the northwest and bring cooler air into washington. mid 60's today. upper 60's south of the metro area. by the weekend, near 50. gusty on saturday. there's a crash out of cheverly on kenilworth avenue southbound near 60. inner loop at 66, broken-down vehicle is gone. let's go to a couple of pictures. first, i want to take you to our picture of the wilson bridge, moving nicely. the other side of the beltway is the complete opposite, the beltway at georgia avenue, moving well. back to you. >> thank you. 44 degrees outside, 6:20. >> crib safety, alarming numbers that every new parent needs to

know. >> today on "oprah," a millionaire mom scraping by on $40 a week, find out why at 4:00 on abc 7.

welcome back. philadelphia eagles quarterback michael vick is backing out of an interview with oprah winfrey for personal reasons. he reconsidered and wanted to

postpone the interview. he was going to talk about his time in prison for running a dogfighting rink, his work for the humane society, and his return to the nfl. some disturbing news about our health in this country. the cdc says that a quarter of all americans do not get any exercise at all. the cdc also says that the south and some parts of appellation have the highest levels of physical inactivity, diabetes, and obesity. the west and the northeast had the lowest levels. more needs to be done to improve safety of christmas and playpens. 10,000 toddlers were injured in accidents every single year. that's an average of 26 injuries every day. playpens.and injury rates have decreased between 1990 and 2008. it was no contest in the

jeopardy battle of man versus machine. the machine came out on top. >> what is buffalo? >> the ibm computer cleaned up in a three-day competition with former jeopardy champions. the computers winning's added up to $77,000. $24,000 for ken jennings. more than $21,000 for brad rutter. >> we got a taste of what it might have been like to play against us. >>watson, the computer, received a million dollars for winning the tournament, which will be donated to charity. >> how many people would be interested in this? >> did you watch? >> a little. >> there's still another half- hour of good morning washington. our final stop on the

beltway burger battle. this time it is an oldie but goodie. >> a financial fight on capitol hill could put metro off track financially. the story is coming up. >> another mile day, 43 at reagan national. a warmer start to our thursday morning than yesterday. a warmer start to our thursday morning than yesterday.

i'm sam chernin, owner of sammy's fish box. i opened the first sammy's back in 1966. my employees are like family, and i want people atat work for me to feel that they're sharing in my success. we purchase as much as we can on the american express open gold card so we can accumulate as many points as possible. i pass on these points to my employees to go on trips with their families. when my employees are happy,

my customers are happy. how can the gold card help serve your business? booming is taking care of your business by taking care of your employees. >> live and in hd, this is "good morning washington," on your side. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- straight ahead -- on thursday morning, a political uprising across the arab world. protesters hit the streets, police strike back. good morning, washington. it is thursday, february 17. i am alison starling. >> i am pamela brown. we will have more on those rising tensions. we began, as always, with

traffic and weather every 10 minutes. adam is in that belfort furniture weather center for your forecast. >> we have a little break. we were pushing 60 further west yesterday. today, well into the 60's. tomorrow, may be breaking 70 degrees. look inside from our hd camera in chesapeake beach. look at the splattered -- scattered clouds. there will be coming in and out. 43 downtown with light, southerly winds of about 5 to 10 miles per hour. that wind is pushing the warm air into the area, and we will keep it today and tomorrow. we have some changes for the weekend. the high today should be 64 degrees. partly cloudy and breezy tomorrow. the breeze will be out of the southwest. that will increase our temperatures to near-70, maybe even lower-70's in some

locations. the strong cold front comes in on friday night, temperatures down for the weekend. metrorail is on normal service. marc rail is being held because of broken down freight train. they will honor your marc rail to get at the metro -- tickets at the metro. first delays i never been to highet's town are now growing. -- first delays out of urbana to hyattstown are now growing. police in bahrain forcefully clear demonstrators from the square in that country's capital. two people died and dozens more were injured. police in libya and yemen also broke up anti-government protests. we'll have more on those protests in just a few minutes. making the case against

albert haynesworth. >> he is accused of sexual assault. a grand jury could get the case by the end of the week. courtney robinson is live in northwest with the latest from that investigation. good morning. >> @ good morning. we did speak with haynesworth's attorney who says the allegation is false. he says they are investigating. they have spoken with several witnesses who were with the troubled redskin early sunday morning here at the double you hotel -- the w hotel. none saw this happen. the same attorney says some of the witnesses have been subpoenaed. that means that we will likely see a grand jury in the near future. haynesworth has not been served or charged because of these accusations. live in northwest, courtney robinson, abc 7 news.

also new this morning, authorities are searching for the cause of a town house fire. flames broke out around 10:30 last night at the home. investigators believe the flames started on the deck, then spread to the house. an investigation into a stolen car may have led to a murder-suicides. christopher hoefert was shot and killed. the gunman then committed suicide. the two were neighbors. there were both facing auto theft charges and were set to go on trial tomorrow. triggers it is 6:33. funerals will be held today for a mother and son who died last week. dinners will begin for the as -- at funerals will begin for the ashcrafts. alfaro is charged with three murders.

lawmakers are fighting over funding promised to the transit system, but not included in the latest spending plan. brianne carter is live with what's at stake and what this means for passengers. >> this would be for the spending bill for 2011, the fiscal year. it would continue to fund the government through september. it is already setting up of financial fight on capitol hill, that riders hope is resolved soon. the plan moving through congress could set metro financially off- track. transit agency's $150 million in federal funds, which would go to infrastructure and safety improvements. an amendment by democrat gerry connolly to restore the funding failed tuesday night. >> what i worry about is it also, frankly, significantly compromise is the ability to address some of the safety

issues -- compromises the ability to address some of the safety issues. >> one metro officials said -- -- official said -- riders agree that metro is underfunded. >> metro needs to have sufficient money to run the trains properly. >> gerry connolly adds that this would compromise funding from local just -- local jurisdictions. the budget that was unveiled earlier this week for fiscal year 2012 does include that $150 million. live in the arlington, brianne carter, abc 7 news. >> metro is caught up in the budget battle. president obama says he will veto the republican cuts.

temporary spending bill to fund the government expires march 4. if congress does not act fast, the government could shut down for the first time since 1995. democrats are trying to persuade former virginia governor tim kaine to run for senate next year. the seat is being vacated by incumbent democrat jim webb. former congressman tom perriello says he may run if tim kaine does not. it is 6:36. 41 degrees. still ahead on "good morning washington" -- senator scott brown's shocking revelations. dippers' are beltway burger battle continues. -- our beltway burger battle continues.

welcome back. 74:39. time for -- 7:39. it is time for traffic and weather. we are enjoying the weather. >> we will be in the 60's.

the next couple of days will be just fine for february. adam pointed out that we have the chance for 70 again, second time in february, second time in the same week. let's look at temperatures. 36 degrees in frederick, one of the colder spots. most spots are in the 40's. a very comfortable start. all of these in values, current temperatures well above what they were just 24 hours ago. we are making some improvements. not going to last. we do not see any bitterly cold air headed here anytime soon. 64 is the high in washington, annapolis. yesterday, annapolis was in the lower-40's all day long. we were much warmer. the southerly wind was blowing right across the bay into annapolis. we will be fine today. we will check on more details of what may be coming our way for the weekend and presidents' day

in just a couple of minutes. that is the latest. let's check on the commute with lisa baden. >> i have good news. in case you're getting ready to take marc rail at the brunswick line, the trains were being held up because of broken down freight train, which has been cleared from the track. we have 45 minutes of delays. we are moving now, although it is delayed. you can go out to metrorail and they will honor your marc rail member brunswick -- marc rail- brunswick tickets. the beltway, delayed around the mormon temple. newschopper 7 shows that planes are open across the american legion bridge down to the toll road -- lanes are open across the american legion bridge down to the toll road. coming up, one freshman

senator opens up about his past -- coming up, 1 freshman center opens up about his past.

coming up tonight at 5:00 -- the firefighters' agreed to getting healthy. secrets to trim fat, lower cholesterol, and improved blood pressure. did it work for them? could it work for you? 6:44 is the time. we're following new developments from the middle east. anti-government protesters clashed with government in bahrain. >> ben eisler is following the latest developments. >> from northern africa to the persian gulf, protests broke out

yesterday. the most severe in yemen, libya, and bahrain. while the grievances very by the country, many share a new confidence because of egypt and tunisia. in bahrain, thousands have come out to challenge the monarchy. the rioting got island, leaving four dead and countless injured, including a reporter miguel marquez. police catch him. he cries, "journalist," for mercy. >> journalist! journalist! journalist, journalist! >> a list city unrest stems from a strong belief -- analysts say the unrest stems from a strong belief that they can challenge of authoritarian rule in a way

parents may not have believed -- their parents may not have believed. a second case of tuberculosis has been identified at george washington university. officials will not say if it is a student or faculty member. community members in contact with the person are getting tested and treatment. there are expected to approve a bill that would legalizing--- they are expected to approve a bill that would legalizing-sex marriage. if it becomes law, maryland would become the sixth state in the nation to certify same-sex marriages. business mogul donald trump is working to purchase one the most expensive properties in the world. it is up for auction after the owner recently fell on hard times. the estate is in the hands of her creditor, bank of america.

senator scott brown comes clean about a tortured past. >> he says he was sexually abused as a child. we have more on this shocking confession. any idea why he is revealing this now? >> he has a book out. it is part of the book. there is also are raising- awareness issue. he is very open about it. he is going to do an interview with "60 minutes." it is something he did not want to talk about for years, but now he does. >> i read that even his mother and wife did not know about it. >> it happen when he was 10- years-old. he has kept this from his family. another topic we want to ask you about -- yesterday, we were previewing chris christie's

speech. there is a great article about most people falling asleep during cpac. >> we want him to run. he would be great. he is saying that he will not. this is one reason why he would be. "what do i have to do, short of convincing suicide, to convince you i am not running?" he says he will not run against republicans. >> what about vp? would he go that route? >> we'll see. there is a crop of republicans who might run. >> we shall see. thank you for being with us. it is 6:48. time for traffic and weather.

any big plans for the spring-like weather today and tomorrow? >> i might delay my trip and abc 7 by a few minutes, maybe an hour -- trip into abc 7 by a few minutes, maybe an hour. let's show you how we are starting temperature-wise. numbers are running in the 40's. off to a good start. 37 at these bergen brunswick. 41 degrees in stafford. the numbers are very mild. at reagan national airport, that is our rooftop camera. patchy clouds. we'll have more sun and clouds -- sun than clouds. the winds are out of the south 5 miles per hour. here is chesapeake beach, a few patchy clouds. the gods will rotate through the region. we will see a little influence -- the clouds will rotate

through the region. we will seal will influence of the wind and the warmer air -- see a little influence of the wind and the warmer air. we are talking upper-60's, lower-70's today and tomorrow. we will look for an average temperature of 64 degrees today. a few scattered clouds, maybe a little patchy fog. lows in the 40's. tomorrow, partly cloudy, 70. some areas may even hit the lower-70's. it will turn cooler over the weekend, but not a bitterly cold weekend. >> thank you. let's go to lisa baden with the traffic. >> on 95 between richmond and baltimore, we are adding a little bit between dale city and the beltway because of volume. 66 -- more of your neighbors on

the road. the last mile to the beltway. thel take you across american legion bridge. headlights leaving tysons to go into bethesda. beautiful ride on the george washington parkway. watch the traffic as i tell you about the burger battle.

this morning -- lady gaga -- you have seen what happens when she takes the stage. lady gaga can't miss. only on "good morning america." it is the last day of our beltway burger battle. >> it is part of our non- scientific survey. viewers and readers cast more than 40,000 votes. julie parker and are food -- our food guru test another venue. >> this was a first. he says it will not be his last. ollie's trolley has been owned by the same family for more than 30 years. >> everything is a secret recipe. this one is 80 years old.

we have found something older than me. >> more than 40,000 votes poured into our website. we set out to find a winner. >> it has the onions, the pickle, the dressing. >> he says it is messy, but he is ok with that. >> give me the knife and fork, please. >> morrow, the winner. >> we will announce the winner after five days of watching these telesis hamburgers. it will be fun to see what our viewers picked. we want to look at traffic. there is breaking news. >> we're going live to newschopper 7 flying over clarksville, md., a very serious crash, where they are asking for medivac helicopters to come to the scene. this is 32, west of 29.

they have shut down a portion of 32. they are allowing some traffic to get by before the medevac gets there. 32 just west of salt 29 at ceder -- of 29 at cedar lane. let's go to adam caskey. here is our forecast. mild, spring-like today and tomorrow, then comes the cold air for the weekend. gusty conditions on saturday. maybe even a few sprinkles on sunday. we could see some snow monday and tuesday, depending on how much colder air comes into the region. nothing to get excited about. we will keep you updated. a big temperature swing for february. that does it for "good morning washington." >> "good morning america" is

next.